Electrically heated steam-raising autoclave

ABSTRACT

A steam-raising autoclave having an outer jacket, an inner pan, an enclosed space between said outer jacket and the inner pan, and electrical heating means for heating water within the enclosed space for producing steam. The outer jacket is made of larger diameter or longer than usual, or both, in order to make the space between the outer jacket and the inner pan larger than usual for containing a required amount of water.

United States Patent Pickard [451 July 4,1972

[54] ELECTRICALLY HEATED STEAM- RAISING AUTOCLAVE [72] Inventor: HenryM. Hattersley Pickard, Stanningley,

Pudsey, England [22) Filed: Jall.ll,l97l

[21] Appl.No.: 105,523

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 9, 1970 Great Britain..1,233/70 [52] US. Cl ..2l9/401, 219/439, 219/440, 126/369 [51] Int. Cl..F27d11/00 [58] Field of Search ..219/437, 439, 440, 430,431, 219/533,401, 399; 126/369 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,006,0596/1935 Rudorff ..219/439 2,236,837 4/1941 Rimmel.....

2,279,000 4/1942 Larson 219/439 2,623,449 12/1952 Losee 219/439 X2,659,802 11/1953 Garrett et al. ..219/401 2,762,895 11/1956 Throw..219/401 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 19,771 0/1912 GreatBritain..219/431 91,98810/1961 Denmark 219/401 258,804 5/1949 Switzerland........2l9/439 719,177 3/1942 Germany ..219/439 944,495 11/1948 France..219/430 1,306,374 9/1962 France ..219/439 Primary ExaminerV0l0dymyr Y.Mayewsky Attorney-Groff & Groff [5 7] ABSTRACT A steam-raising autoclavehaving an outer jacket, an inner pan, an enclosed space between saidouter jacket and the inner pan, and electrical heating means for heatingwater within the enclosed space for producing steam. The outer jacket ismade of larger diameter or longer than usual, or both, in order to makethe space between the outer jacket and the inner pan larger than usualfor containing a required amount of water.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures ELECTRICALLY HEATED STEAM-RAISING AUTOCLAVECROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS British application No. 1233/70dated Jan. 9, 1970.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a steam-raisingautoclave and has for its object the provision of a jacketedsteam-raising autoclave which is of simple design and highly efficientin use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION c. said jacket and inner pan being dimensionedto provide between themselves an annular space between their cylindricalwalls and a space between their domed end walls in which steam can begenerated from water supplied to said spaces,

d. the adjacent front ends of said jacket and inner pan being securedtogether to close the front end of said annular space,

e. a closure door fitted to the front of said inner pan,

f. electric heating means for heating the water in the space between theouter jacket and said inner pan for generating steam to said pressure ofseveral atmospheres, and

g. means for feeding steam from the top of said outer jacket to saidinner pan,

h. the autoclave also being fitted with pressure gauges, cutouts andother appropriate devices as would be the case in a normal steam-raisingboiler.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of anautoclave according to one embodiment in which the jacket is made oflarger diameter than usual;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of FIG. 1; and

F IG. 3 is a longitudinal section of an autoclave according to a secondembodiment in which the jacket is made longer than usual.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring firstly to FIGS. 1 and 2of said drawings, the autoclave of this embodiment of the inventioncomprises an inner pan 1 closed at its rear end by a dome or wall 2, andaround which is provided a jacket 3 of larger diameter than usual toprovide an annular space 4 of increased capacity for containing arequired predetermined quantity of water.

Fitted within the lower part of said annular space 4 are six or anyother required number of electric heating elements 5, which may bemounted in the rear wall 6 of the jacket 3 and supported at their innerends within said annular space 4 by a plate 7.

Thus, when the jacket 3 is about half filled with water the latter isheated by said immersion heaters 5, and the autoclave acts as a steamraising boiler. When required, the steam from the top of the jacket 3may be fed into the inner pan 1.

Alternative forms of electric heating elements may be employed, such aconventional disc-like or band-like electric heating elements adapted tobe strapped or otherwise held against the outer surface of the jacket 3.

Alternatively, the back end could be bolted on when the heating elementscould be fitted nearer the outer edge of the jacket.

Usual boiler fittings such as a feed pump, level and pressure gauges,cut outs and other appropriate devices will be fitted to the autoclaveas would be the case in a normal steam raising boiler.

Where the inner pan 1 passes through the front end 8 of the jacket awelded joint can be made, but the two can instead be bolted together bya multiplicity of bolts, only six of which are indicated at 9, for lowpressure constructions. This has the big advantage of enabling completedismantling to be done at any time when all the metal surfaces will beeasily examined and, if necessary, easily repaired.

According to the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 3, the capacity of thejacket 10 is increased to enable it to contain a required quantity ofwater by making the jacket longer than usual instead of increasing thediameter thereof, so that the jacket extends rearwardly of the inner and11a of the pan 1], and in this case electric immersion heaters 12 can befitted to the wall 13 at the rear end of the jacket so as to extendradially into the latter.

Conveniently a bolting flange 14 is fitted centrally on said wall 13 andfitted with a cover plate 15 which holds the electric elements inposition so that if they need changing it is only necessary to removeone unit and to replace it by another. Preferably, the opening in whichthe elements are fitted is large enough so that with the cover plate 15removed it constitutes a man-hole through which a workman can pass intothe inside of the jacket for inspection, maintenance or repair purposes.

According to a third embodiment, not illustrated, the jacket is madeboth larger in diameter and longer, and heating means is provided inboth the resulting annular space and also in the space between the rearwall of the jacket and the rear wall of the inner pan.

In the illustrated embodiments the door at the front of the inner panhas been omitted as this forms no part of the invention.

I claim:

l. A jacketted steam-raising autoclave comprising a. a cylindrical outerjacket made of thick steel plate to provide a wall thickness of one-halfinch capable of withstanding a steam pressure of several atmospheres andclosed at its rear end by a domed end wall,

b. a cylindrical inner pan made of thick steel plate to provide a wallthickness of one-half inch capable of withstanding a steam pressure ofseveral atmospheres and closed at its rear end by a domed end wall,

c. said jacket and inner pan being dimensioned to provide betweenthemselves an annular space between their cylindrical walls and a spacebetween their domed end walls in which steam can be generated from watersupplied to said spaces,

d. the adjacent front ends of said jacket and inner pan being securedtogether to close the front end of said annular space,

e. a closure door fitted to the front of said inner pan,

f. electric heating means secured to the jacket for heating the water inthe spaces between the outer jacket and said inner pan for generatingsteam to said pressure of several atmospheres,

g. pipe means for feeding steam from the top of said outer jacket tosaid inner pan, and

h. pressure gauges and cut-outs devices being fitted on said jacket forthe normal steam-raising in said spaces.

2. A jacketted steam-raising autoclave as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe size of the annular space between the cylindrical walls constitutesa major space sufficient to enable steam to be raised therein by meansof electric immersion heating elements extending horizontally in thelower part of said annular space and supported at one set of ends by thedomed end wall of the outer jacket and at their other set of ends by aplate fitted in said annular space.

3. A jacketted steam-raising autoclave as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe size of the space between the rear wall of the inner pan and therear wall of the outer jacket constitutes a major water containing andsteam-generating space into which extend electric immersion heatersmounted on the rear 5. A jacketted steam-raising autoclave as claimed inclaim wall of the outer jacket. 1, comprising immersion heaters fittedin both the annular 4. A jacketted steam-raising autoclave as claimed inclaim Space between the Y|indrica1 walls Oflhejacket and inner P 1,wherein the electric heating means comprises heating eleand also betweenthe end walls thereof ments secured to the outer surface of the jacket.5

1. A jacketted steam-raising autoclave comprising : a. a cylindricalouter jacket made of thick steel plate to provide a wall thickness ofone-half inch capable of withstanding a steam pressure of severalatmospheres and closed at its rear end by a domed end wall, b. acylindrical inner pan made of thick steel plate to provide a wallthickness of one-half inch capable of withstanding a steam pressure ofseveral atmospheres and closed at its rear end by a domed end wall, c.said jacket and inner pan being dimensioned to provide betweenthemselves an annular space between their cylindrical walls and a spacebetween their domed end walls in which steam can be generated from watersupplied to said spaces, d. the adjacent front ends of said jacket andinner pan being secured together to close the front end of said annularspace, e. a closure door fitted to the front of said inner pan, f.electric heating means secured to the jacket for heating the water inthe spaces between the outer jacket and said inner pan for generatingsteam to said pressure of several atmospheres, g. pipe means for feedingsteam from the top of said outer jacket to said inner pan, and h.pressure gauges and cut-outs devices being fitted on said jacket for thenormal steam-Raising in said spaces.
 2. A jacketted steam-raisingautoclave as claimed in claim 1, wherein the size of the annular spacebetween the cylindrical walls constitutes a major space sufficient toenable steam to be raised therein by means of electric immersion heatingelements extending horizontally in the lower part of said annular spaceand supported at one set of ends by the domed end wall of the outerjacket and at their other set of ends by a plate fitted in said annularspace.
 3. A jacketted steam-raising autoclave as claimed in claim 1,wherein the size of the space between the rear wall of the inner pan andthe rear wall of the outer jacket constitutes a major water containingand steam-generating space into which extend electric immersion heatersmounted on the rear wall of the outer jacket.
 4. A jackettedsteam-raising autoclave as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electricheating means comprises heating elements secured to the outer surface ofthe jacket.
 5. A jacketted steam-raising autoclave as claimed in claim1, comprising immersion heaters fitted in both the annular space betweenthe cylindrical walls of the jacket and inner pan and also between theend walls thereof.